January 25, 2021
New Hampshire State Police Tattoo Policy Change
Change is a good thing – especially if it opens recruitment chances to a wider range of applicants! NH State troopers have been prohibited from having arm tattoos for years,. The ban was costing them valuable recruitments and causing them to turn away many talented applicants. Many local police departments in NH have already loosened their tattoo policies for this reason. Now, NHSP is to follow suit – announcing that they are changing their tattoo policy.
Now state troopers are allowed to have tattoos on their arms up to their wrist. The tattoos can’t be deemed racist, sexist or indecent. Once approved, the tattoos must be covered by compression sleeves or long sleeve shirts while on duty. The move was made to widen the NHSP’s applicant pool as more and more people have tattoos. In terms of statistics, 25-35% of Americans have at least one tattoo. Loosening the policy would also offer a sort of moral boost as troopers would be able to express their individuality more freely. In addition, many studies have found that clients (civilians in this case) feel more comfortable and relate easier to professionals with tattoos. Some tattoo locations are still prohibited, such as the head, hands and wrists. As time goes on, however, many other government agencies will likely join in on relaxed policies.
